What is ALPs?Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) provides train-

ing for athletes who wish to expand their role in Special Olympics Missouri beyond the field of competition.

For that reason, within ALPs, SOMO athletes will now be referred to as “athlete-leaders” instead of just “ath-letes.”

On the field of competition, our athletes learn how to achieve success, joy and acceptance, while Athlete Leadership Programs teach them how to achieve those same goals and feel just as empowered while off the field of competition as respected leaders and spokespeople in their communities.

Throughout Special Olympics, athlete-leaders take on roles and responsibilities from many different ALPs initia-tives. They can work as employees of Special Olympics programs, speak on behalf of SOMO as Global Messen-gers, serve as coaches and volunteers, officiate competi-tions and represent other athletes and leaders as part of the SOMO Input Council.

ALPs UniversitySOMO has offered Global Messenger (GM) to its ath-

letes for years, but ALPs takes GM trainings to the next level by letting its athlete-leaders choose from a variety of majors based on their interest.

We will offer ALPs University twice a year in the spring and fall. A typical University will have athlete-leaders and mentors come in on a Saturday morning and stay through Sunday mid-day.

Each ALPs University session costs $20 for the athlete-leader and $20 for the mentor. Costs help cover lunch on Saturday and any printed materials. Athlete-leaders and mentors are on their own for hotel costs, but SOMO will always secure a block of rooms at area hotels to help. We understand it’s a financial obligation to attend, but this shows both the mentor and athlete-leader have com-pletely bought into the program.

www.SOMO.org/ALPs

ALPs Course TreeBelow is a very tentative course plan that shows all of the

potential majors and electives athlete-leaders can take at an ALPs University. It is subject to change in the future.

The first class for everyone will always be Introduction to ALPs. Mentors will also take a course specifically tailored to their responsibilities.

At the conclusion of the Intro to ALPs course, athlete-lead-ers will select a major that they will follow for at least the next year and a half. Some majors have specific classes that athlete-leaders must take in order (ie: in “Communications,” athlete-leaders must take Global Messenger I first) while other tracks such as “Leadership for Life” are all electives

and they can take any classes they want in any order.In order to graduate, athlete-leaders will need to complete

15 hours of coursework in addition to the Intro to ALPs and Leadership Capstone.

Athlete-leaders are allowed to make their elective any small-block course from another major if they so choose (ie: A Communications major can take Powerpoint/Google Slides as an elective even though it’s in the Technology track and because it’s a small-block course).

At the end of each class, there is a “practicum” for the athlete-leaders and mentors to complete together, which puts what they learned in class to work.

For more information on the upcoming ALPs University, including how to sign

up, visit www.SOMO.org/ALPs.

www.SOMO.org/ALPs

Athlete Leadership

Programs (ALPs)

Empowering our athletes to be leaders in their

communities

Area Offices

The best way to get more information on ALPs in your area is by contacting the area offices below:

CENTRAL AREA 573-256-6367 903 Old 63 North, Suite A Columbia, MO 65201

KC METRO AREA 913-789-0332 9001 W. 67th St. Merriam, KS 66202

NORTH AREA 816-233-6232 2300 Frederick Ave., Suite 204 St. Joseph, MO 64506

SOUTHEAST AREA 573-339-6733 1625 N. Kingshighway Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

SOUTHWEST AREA 417-624-5505 2914 E. 32nd St., Suite 304Joplin, MO 64804

ST. LOUIS METRO AREA 314-961-7755 2945 S. Brentwood Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63144

ALPs Initiatives

There are so many ways for our athletes to become leaders in their communities. The following are only a handful of ways, so if there are other ways that we aren’t currently offering, please email Schatsiek@SOMO.org to discuss any other potential ALPs initiatives.

Leaders on the Board of Directors (Governance major)One leader presently serves on the Special Olympics Missouri Board of Directors.

Leaders as Spokespersons (Communications major)Through the Global Messenger program, leaders undergo training to act as spokespersons on behalf of Special Olym-pics.

Leaders in Leadership for Life (Leadership for Life major)Leaders are encouraged to participate in the leadership train-ing programs offered through ALPs University, whether it’s to write resumes and find a job or to balance a checkbook and keep tabs on personal finances.

Leaders as Committee Members (Governance major)Leaders serve on a variety of local, area, and state commit-tees, Games Management Teams, fundraising committees and Games Evaluation Teams.

Leaders as Input Council Members (Governance major)Athlete Input Councils allow SOMO’s many athlete leaders around the state an opportunity to share with SOMO staff members what works and what can be improved at the many local, regional and statewide events throughout the year. Input Councils are held at every state competition, but they can also be held locally in a leader’s community.

Leaders as Coaches (Coaching major)Through ALPs, leaders receive training to serve as coaches for Special Olympics Missouri sports teams throughout the year.

Leaders as Officials (Officiating major -- not offered yet)Through ALPs, leaders receive training to serve as officials for Special Olympics Missouri sporting events throughout the year.

Leaders as Volunteers (Any major + Volunteer elective)Leaders join the volunteer forces of Special Olympics Missouri by helping out with sporting events, fundraising events and other activities throughout the year.

Leaders as Storytellers (Communications/Technology major)Leaders contribute to Special Olympics Missouri blog posts and other communications projects, such as the TV Show.